Trump Says He Will Be "Leaving My Great Business In Total" To Focus On Running The Country

Wednesday, 30 November 2016In keeping with the recent tradition of making major announcements on Twitter early in the morning, President-elect Donald Trump said early Wednesday that he will announce in December that is leaving his business "in total" to "fully focus on running the country."

The announcement is in response to recent media reports that running Trump's businesses presents a major conflict of interest should he continue to do so as president.

An event is planned for Dec. 15 in New York, he tweeted.

During the campaign, Trump said he would fully sever himself from the business. Last week he suggested he might reverse himself, saying he legally could retain his role in the business operations.

Trump also tweeted that while he is not mandated to hand off the business, he feels it is "visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest" with his businesses.

I will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my ...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2016

great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! While I am not mandated to ....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2016

do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2016

Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!

Nov.30 -- On "With All Due Respect," Mark Halperin and John Heilemann discuss how President-Elect Donald Trump plans to extricate himself from his business empire amid concerns about conflicts of interest.